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San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams acknowledged that the contract he signed in April may be the last of his stellar career.
Williams said he is committed to completing the two-year, $50 million contract that runs through the 2027 season, but then said he would likely retire at age 39.
“It’s scary. It’s scary,” Williams said Wednesday in his first press conference since signing the deal. “I’m tossing between the idea of going until I can’t anymore and just leaving while I still have some good products left and not being run out of the league.”
Williams talked about wanting to spend more time with his children, saying his oldest daughter was born just a few months before he was drafted by Washington in 2010 and will soon be heading off to college.
“As a dad, you’re like, ‘Dang, I kind of missed her whole life until adulthood,'” Williams said. “When she goes to college in a few years, I want to be there and be available. I don’t want to be the dad who’s shadowing a kid. I want to be close. I don’t want to be somewhere in a joint practice when it’s time for her to move into school and stuff. Little things I have to think about.”
Williams didn’t completely close the door on playing until he was 40 or older, but said this was likely his final contract.
The deal includes $37 million fully guaranteed and a $22 million signing bonus, and it came together much more easily than the previous deal he signed with the 49ers. Williams sat out 2024 training camp before signing a three-year, $82.3 million deal.
This one came without any hold-out or drama.
“I think it was a load off everyone’s shoulders, but honestly this time it wasn’t that stressful,” he said. “Everything was kind of how I expected it to go. Obviously there was a little bit of pushback on both sides, but for the most part we both knew what we wanted to do. We see things pretty similarly for the future, so it was pretty easy to get through it.”
Williams’ attention now turns to the season, which just got a little more difficult this week with the news that the rival Los Angeles Rams traded for two-time AP NFL defensive back Myles Garrett.
Garrett set an NFL record last season with 23 sacks, including one in a matchup last season against the Niners, leading to Williams’ less-than-enthusiastic reaction to news of the deal.
“The same as everybody else,” Williams said. “Anyone who isn’t in Ram’s land… That’s too bad.”
Williams should get his first chance to see Garrett in a Rams uniform in the season opener in Melbourne, Australia, when the 49ers take on Los Angeles.
“The scary thing is he’s still a young player. He’s still going to get better,” Williams said. “I know it’s scary after seeing what he did last year. I never expect to run into the same player. I know we’ll see him in Week 1 in Australia. He’ll probably be a little bit better than he was the last time I saw him. Just need to step up. It’s going to be tough. I’m not the only one who has to block him. That’s so that’s what’s new.”
Williams is still playing at a high level. He is coming off his 12th Pro Bowl season — the most by any offensive tackle — and is two shy of tying Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews’ record for an offensive lineman.
Williams made three straight All-Pro teams from 2021-23 before being hampered by injuries in 2024. He was healthy for most of last season and played in 16 games for the first time since 2013.
Report from the Associated Press.
